RICHMOND, Va. — A penny for your thoughts? A Virginia family had 80,000 of them to deal with.
When a man dumped 80,000 pennies on a Virginia family’s front lawn as a final child support payment, Avery Sanford and her mother turned what appeared to be a spiteful gesture into a loving one.
Avery Sanford, 18, a senior at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, said she was in class last month when her father pulled up to her home.
One Richmond family got a shocking delivery last month when 80,000 pennies were dumped on their front lawn. Now, they're using the money to help those in need.https://t.co/AeVzIz3ENG via @jonburkettcbs6
— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) June 9, 2021
“I just turned 18. When I was in the middle of class, my dad came by. He had rented a trailer,” Sanford told WTVR. “He pulled up in front of the house and turned the trailer on so it dumped out all the pennies on the grass and my mom came out and was like, ‘What are you dumping in my yard?’ She didn’t know who it was until he shouted, ‘It’s your final child support payment.”
The act had an impact on the teenager, who has not spoken to her father in years, the television station reported.
“It’s not just my mom he’s trying to embarrass, it’s also me and my sister and it’s upsetting that he didn’t consider that before he did that,” Sanford told WTVR.
Once the pennies were picked up from the lawn, Sanford and her mother decided to donate the money to Safe Harbor, a domestic abuse center.
Every penny of it.
“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need, I feel like that really turns this situation into a positive,” Sanford told WTVR. “You can learn from it.”
Sanford said her mother reported the incident to Henrico County police, the television station reported.
Sanford’s father told WTVR in a telephone interview that his actions were a result of years of built-up frustration, and he admitted his emotions overcame his judgment.
The man, who was not identified by the television station, said the last thing he wanted to do was drive a wedge between himself and his daughter.
Sanford did not appreciate her father’s two cents on the matter. Or any of them.
“It’s really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that,” Sanford told WTVR. “It doesn’t matter if they’re young or an adult, the actions of your parents will always have some effect on you.”
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